Friday update

Good Evening to you all and happy Friday once again.

I hope that you have all now received your protective face masks ahead of today’s change in legislation, meaning the wearing of a face covering is now mandatory in shops, supermarkets, takeaways, banks and post offices as well as when travelling on all public transport. Please do keep one with you at all times not only to keep yourself and others, but to ensure your access to these outlets is unimpeded. As mentioned in my letter to you, at this time the use of facemasks within the office or on site falls to your own personal discretion and are not yet compulsory. Naturally, if working within a confined indoor space or in close proximity to others the use of these is strongly recommended. As with all my previous updates I urge you all to please continue to stay alert, avoid unnecessary risks and ensure social distancing continues to be maintained, even if wearing a mask.

As part of our ongoing and continually evolving enhanced safety procedures, further measures will be implemented within the office next week. From Monday, Katie will record, log and monitor the temperature of anyone accessing Century House, both staff and visitors. It was felt that due to the increasing numbers present in the office, it would be prudent to remain vigilant and carry out these simple but effective checks which I do hope will offer further reassurance to those working within or visiting the office. If a high-temperature (38C or above) is recorded you will be respectfully requested to work from home until your temperature returns to normal. These measures are deemed necessary to protect both yourself and your colleagues.

Whilst the virus remains prevalent it is imperative that everyone plays their part by following this new guidance. The rules are in place to keep us safe whilst allowing elements of our life pre-COVID to be systematically restored. We are certainly not out of the woods just yet and if you or a member of your family do experience symptoms then please do self-isolate immediately, get tested as quickly as possible and keep us informed via your line manager to safeguard you and your colleagues.

A total of 87 responses were received for our staff engagement and communications survey, which I feel is a proportionately adequate sample to be insightful to the views of the majority. Thank you once again to everyone who has taken the time to complete the survey and share your thoughts and suggestions with us.

First and foremost it is incredibly reassuring to learn of the absolute confidence you all have for the future as well as the pride, satisfaction and enjoyment you feel in being part of team Jenner. Your views have indicated that you believe the perception of Jenner externally remains extremely strong in light of recent circumstances which coincides with positivity and support surrounding our overall management of the pandemic and key decisions made, and this is most encouraging to hear.

To give you a broad overview of the findings, a few key statistics are shared below:

• 100% either agree or strongly agree that the Directors made the correct decision to temporarily close, rating the management of the situation at 4.65 on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 denoting excellent).

• 100% are confident and comfortable in your return to work with no-one reporting that they feel unsafe and 53% reporting they feel extremely confident and safe in the workplace.

• 94% are confident and optimistic for the future.

• 64% feel that the external perception of Jenner is ‘Excellent with a very strong reputation’ with remaining opinion viewing our reputation as ‘good and well regarded’.

• 98% feel either; extremely happy, valued, respected and proud to be part of Team Jenner or happy, comfortable and enjoy working here.

• Communications throughout the pandemic were rated highly at a 4.7 ⭐ rating with a strong desire to see the ‘Friday Update’ continue, in parallel with other communication channels such as the intranet.

With government guidance ever-changing and the virus still dominating our lives, many of you unsurprisingly still have concerns and anxieties. Given the informative intent and reassurance that you feel the Friday Update has offered over recent months I propose to continue to write to you on a weekly basis until a point when we feel confidence has been restored and we can move to monthly updates to deliver business and project news to you all. A need for better communication with weekly paid staff has been highlighted as many do not have company email access and this will be addressed to ensure they are kept informed and updated. If a member of your team does have a personal email they would like this sent to, as we did when many were furloughed then please do pass this on.

Whilst the vast majority of you are satisfied with the enhanced safety and hygiene measures implemented over recent months a number of suggestions for improvement have been received and these will all be given due consideration, and which may include a rota system within the office to keep numbers manageable (especially in open space offices) in accordance with social distancing ruling. Improved and additional cleaning regimes and more sanitising products placed in communal and ‘high-touch’ zones within the office such a photocopiers and stairwells will also be implemented. The greatest challenges faced at this time understandably focus around safety and the ability to socially distance which correlates with the above suggestions and concerns raised over the space we have available and these are being addressed as best we can.

Taking a brief look at project progress, two tower cranes have been installed on site at Folkestone Seafront signalling the next step forwards with this prestigious development which remains firmly in the public eye. Piling is now complete, with 200 piles having been sunk at a depth of up to 27 metres to ensure that the building has solid foundations despite its location on the edge of the gravel beach. Groundworks and installation of drainage will continue over coming weeks.

Meanwhile, a short distance from the seafront work of a very different nature continues as the complex and challenging installation of the façade for F51 continues to piece together and the team have worked with relentless enthusiasm to overcome many frustrations and quality issues to keep this flagship project forwards.

I do apologise that this has been quite a lengthy update but I felt it imperative to impress upon you all the importance of adopting the latest safety guidance whilst taking the opportunity to fully communicate the survey findings with you all and sharing the positivity and optimism the results portray.

Do rest and relax and enjoy the weekend and as always, please do stay safe and well.